The present invention relates to a package including a flexibly adjustable tie device for use in dispensing and separating single sheets from a continuous web of premoistened sheets which are joined at perforations.
Pre-moistened sheets or towelettes are increasingly popular among consumers because they are convenient and easily provide a "damp cloth" even when water is not readily available. Generally, these sheets are either individually wrapped or come as part of a continuous web which is perforated so that it can be separated into a plurality of individual sheets. The present invention relates to the dispensing of single sheets or towelettes packaged as a continuous web. Generally, towelettes of this type are delivered to the consumer in a plastic container with a separable top removably fitted over the container. The top has a specifically designed outlet for withdrawing the towelettes on the web therethrough and for sequentially separating the individual towelettes from the web. Previous efforts to provide a simple withdrawing and tearing construction have generally been directed to the manner of formation of the opening through which the towelettes pass as they are removed from the web. The opening must be large enough to permit the towelettes to fit therethrough and, at the same time, must be small enough to exert enough frictional pull on the towelettes to cause them to separate along the perforated dividing lines. Such prior art towelette dispensers do however generally have the drawbacks that the materials required for forming the package are expensive, considerable manual labor costs are required for manufacture, and disposal of the spent container is a problem. Many of the prior art containers which are presently available are made of extruded and molded plastic having a top with the specific type of outlet therethrough positioned above the container with the web inside. It is required that the web be initially fed through the opening so that it is ready to be used. Also, the dispensing opening must be conveniently sealed in some manner to prevent the pre-moistened towelettes from drying out before reaching the consumer. The fact that the containers are of rigid plastic creates a disposal problem, since they are bulky even when empty and they create polluting fumes when they are burned.
One previous attempt to overcome such prior art disadvantages is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,493, issued Jan. 13, 1981, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. This previous arrangement discloses a package for dispensing and separating single sheets from a continuous roll of pre-moistened sheets which are joined at perforations. The package includes a container for housing therein a continuous roll of pre-moistened sheets, and a bag positioned within the container and surrounding the roll, the bag being open at a top end portion thereof, and an end sheet of the roll extending therethrough. A dispensing plate is separate from and positioned within the container and surrounds the end sheet of the roll and the top end portion of the bag. Such dispensing plate gathers and substantially seals the bag around the end sheet of the roll. Thus, the end sheet of the roll is dispensed through the top end portion of the bag, with the dispensing plate by gathering the top end portion of the bag around the end sheet of the roll creating sufficient friction therebetween to cause the end sheet to tear from the next sheet on the roll at the perforations therebetween when the end sheet is drawn out.
While this previous arrangement substantially overcomes the prior art disadvantages and operates quite effectively, it does have certain drawbacks. Thus, the dispensing plate employed has a relatively complicated configuration and is somewhat expensive to manufacture. Additionally, since the dispensing plate has therein only a single dispensing opening, if the friction provided by this single opening is not relatively exact, then the dispensing and separating of the towelettes will not be precise, and cannot be adjusted. Thus, if the dispensing opening in the dispensing plate provides insufficient friction, then the end sheet of the roll may not separate, or may separate with too much of the next sheet exposed outwardly of the bag, thereby presenting the disadvantage that such next sheet may dry out if not immediately used. On the other hand, if the dispensing opening in the dispensing plate provides too much friction, then the end sheet may become separated before the tip end of the next sheet is exposed through the bag.